DOC/OS(XXXIII)/324c/II
Executions:
1991:12
1989:3
1993 12
1996: 3
2001 none
2000: none
1999: 28
The Special Rapporteur finds it encouraging that no execution took place in 2000 and 2001
and urges the Government of Uganda to maintain this retentionist policy.
Visits took place for condemned prisoners at Luzira Upper prison on Mondays and
Wednesdays, for 20 to 30 minutes. Their section was compact; prisoners were allowed out of
their cells during all day, but could not exercise due to lack of space. They are housed three
to five per cell depending on the blocks. They wore uniforms, and were allowed to get food
from outside. Their blocks were clean. The building was under rehabilitation to extend it.
Condemned prisoners in Luzira women prison said they felt discriminated and rejected: they
were not allowed to go to other parts of the prison than their ward, except the yard.
Capital offenders in Mbale prison are detained in very poor conditions. There are no
showers in the blocks, the roofs are leaking and threatening to collapse, taps are leaking and
water is to be brought in jerrycans.
Foreigners
Illegal immigrants are detained until deportation. The delegation met a 22 years old Afghani
in Kampala Central Police Station. He had spent ten months in police custody and had been
sentenced 2.5 months for his expired visa. Since there was no flight to Afghanistan, the
authorities wanted to deport him to Pakistan. Two Rwandese had been detained for three
months without charge (Kamukuzi local administration local unit). Some of them were said to
be from the army, the Internal Security Office being therefore responsible for their file.
Foreigners often find themselves without any visit nor assistance, having no relatives around.
Moreover, foreigners in Mbale and Luzira explained they could not be bailed since they had
not surety, and that their embassy was not informed of their detention or they had no contact.
Two Rwandese detained in Kamukuzi local administration lock-up explained they had to
work for officers and to beg in order to get food. Prisoners in this lock-up were not provided
with blankets, and there was no light and no toilets.
The mail — including Red Cross messages — is censored, which poses a translation problem:
they only receive messages from their families after they have been translated, which can
take very long.
No special diet was organised for them.
Women
Women represent 4% of the total prison population. Many are there because of the actions of
men• they are made to carry contraband for men, prostitution, they steal to fend for children
who ale neglected by their fathers, etc. (See FHRI The Prisons Update, Volume 3, issue n° 1
June 1997) Many are serving relatively lengthy periods of imprisonment. They are detained
either in separated wards in mostly men prisons (Masaka; Kakiika), or in separate prisons
(Luzira and Mbale). It does happen that they are not separated from men, e.g. in Mpigi local
prison, where they are separated only at nights. In Tororo prison farm, they are separated
from men by a light fence. In Kasese local prison, their iron inpot ( 4m diameter round military
barrack was next to the guards' office, without any separation. The Special Rapporteur noted
that this was an unacceptable situation and women needed to be separated for protection
purposes.
Their accommodation conditions are usually poor (although better than men's on the whole).
The women's cell at Kasese police station accommodated between five and seven prisoners
14
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